Elastic member and pump assembly including the same

ABSTRACT

An elastic member for a pump assembly is provided. The pump assembly may include an elastic member having an upper support, a lower support provided under the upper support, and a connection part which connects the upper support and the lower support, and in which peaks and valleys are repeatedly formed in an outward direction to be bent when the elastic member is pressurized.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/934,398, filed on Jul. 21, 2020, which claims priority toKorean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0051963, filed on Apr. 29, 2020,the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by references.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to an elastic member and a pump assemblyincluding the same, and more specifically, to an eco-friendly elasticmember having a sufficient elastic force and a pump assembly includingthe same.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Generally, a pump container is configured so that contents therein aredischarged to the outside through a pumping operation of a pump assemblycoupled to an upper portion of a container main body. The pump containeris composed of the container main body in which the contents are stored,the pump assembly which is coupled to the upper portion of the containermain body and causes the inside of the container main body to be in avacuum state to pull up the contents by the pumping operation, and abutton part which is located on the pump assembly and ascends anddescends according to pressurization by a user to transfer a pressure tothe pump assembly.

Here, the pump assembly performs the pumping operation so that thecontents stored in the container main body are discharged to theoutside, and can include a spring providing an elastic force to theinside for the above-described repetitive pumping operation. Commonly,since the spring is made of a metal material, not only is themanufacturing costs high, but also recycling is not easy, as the pumpassembly is made of different materials of plastic and metal, and thedifferent materials should be separated and discarded for recycling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is directed to providing an eco-friendly elasticmember having a sufficient elastic force and a pump assembly includingthe same.

Technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to theabove-described problems, and other technical problems which are notmentioned may be apparently understood by those skilled in the art frombelow.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a pump assembly isprovided. The pump assembly may include an elastic member may include afirst support, a second support, and a connection part, the firstsupport having an inner side wall of the first support and an outer sidewall of the first support, the second support having a multi-stepstructure, wherein each step of the multi-step structure has an innerside wall and an outer side wall, and wherein a diameter of the eachstep of the multi-step structure increases towards a distal portion ofthe elastic member, and the connection part connecting the first supportand the second support and comprising a plurality of peaks and valleysalternatingly disposed in an outward direction, wherein the plurality ofpeaks and valleys are configured to be bent assisting a pump action ofthe pump assembly when the elastic member is pressurized along an axialdirection of the elastic member, wherein the elastic member has athrough hole penetrating the first support, the connection part, and thesecond support along the axial direction of the elastic member, andwherein a space is defined within the through hole configured toaccommodate the pump assembly.

In addition, the elastic member is configured to be accommodated in thepump assembly in a partially compressed state.

In addition, the elastic member is formed of at least one amongpolyetheretherketone (PEEK), polycarbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM),polyketone (POK), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polypropylene (PP),polyethylene (PE), polyoxypropylene (POP), a polyolefin elastomer (POE),and ethylene octene/butene copolymers.

In addition, sizes of each of the plurality of peaks and valleysincrease in a longitudinal direction.

In addition, the connection part is a bellows type, wherein theconnection part is defined along a circumference of the elastic member,and wherein a circumferential surface of the connection part is sealed.

In addition, at least one of the first support and the second supportmay include at least one air path configured to release air when theelastic member is compressed.

In addition, the second support may include a two-step structure,wherein the two-step structure has a first step structure and a secondstep structure, wherein the first step structure is defined on a distalportion of the two-step structure and has an outer side wall and aninner side wall, and wherein the second step structure is defined on acloser portion of the two-step structure and has an outer side wall andan inner side wall.

In addition, each step of the two-step structure may include astep-through-hole having a buffer space inside the first step structure,and the second step structure is inwardly bent to the buffer space whenan elastic force is horizontally or vertically pressured.

In addition, a diameter of the outer side wall of the first stepstructure is greater than a diameter of a peak of the plurality of peaksand valleys.

In addition, a horizontal margin is created by a difference between thediameter of the outer side wall of the first step structure and thediameter of the peak of the plurality of peaks and valleys, and whereinthe connection part is compressed or decompressed without interferenceof other components of the pump assembly by being compressed ordecompressed in the horizontal margin.

In addition, a distance from the outer side wall of the first stepstructure to the inner side wall of the second step structure is greaterthan a height of the two-step structure.

In addition, a distance from the outer side wall to the inner side wallof the first step structure is greater than a height of the first stepstructure.

In addition, the pump assembly may further include a cylinder verticallyopen and having a hollow therein, a seal cap disposed on an inner wallof the cylinder, a sealing part at least partially inserted into thecylinder and configured to restrain an ascent of the seal cap, a pistonrod having an inlet opened and closed by the seal cap disposed in alower end of the piston rod and a path connected to the inlet disposedat an upper end of the piston rod, and a stem coupled to the piston rodand configured to ascend and descend together with the piston rod,wherein the elastic member is disposed between the stem and the sealingpart and is configured to provide an elastic force to the stem from thesealing part.

In addition, a blade part is defined by protruding outward along acircumference of an upper end of the stem configured to support an upperend of the elastic member, wherein a downwardly bent portion is definedalong a circumference of the blade part and supports the elastic memberconfigured to prevent separation of the elastic member, and wherein atleast one air path is defined on the blade part configured to releasecompression and expansion of inner air generated during compression anddecompression of the elastic member.

In addition, the air path of the blade part is defined on at least oneregion of the blade part being open.

In addition, the sealing part may include a sidewall disposed to thecylinder and is configured to prevent an outward separation of theelastic member, and a base part defined on a lower end of the side wall,wherein an upper surface of the base part supports a lower end of theelastic member.

In addition, the cylinder may include an inlet communicating with acontainer and a valve preventing backflow, and wherein the valve opensthe inlet when an inner pressure of the cylinder changes to a negativepressure.

In addition, a lower portion of the piston rod is surrounded by an innersurface of the seal cap sealing the inlet of the piston rod and an upperportion of the piston rod is connected to the stem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart by describing exemplary embodiments thereof in detail with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an elastic member according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an elastic member according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a pump assembly according to theembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the pump assembly according to theembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a content container according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosurewill be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.Further, a method of configuring and using a device according to theembodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail withreference to disclosures in the accompanying drawings. The samereference numerals or numerals provided in the drawings denotecomponents or elements which perform substantially the same function.The following vertical and lateral directions are directions based onthe drawings, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited tothe directions.

Although the terms including ordinal numbers “first,” “second,” and thelike may be used herein to describe various elements, the elements arenot limited by the terms. The terms may be used only to distinguish oneelement from another. For example, ‘a first element’ could be referredto as ‘a second element’, and similarly, ‘a second element’ could bereferred to as ‘a first element’ without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. The term “and/or” includes any combination of aplurality of related items or one of a plurality of related items.

Terms used in the present disclosure are used solely to describe theembodiments and not to limit the present disclosure. The singular formis intended to also include the plural form, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms“include,” “including,” “provide,” “providing,” “have,” and/or “having”specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Throughout the specification, a case in which a certain part ismentioned as being “connected” to another part includes not only a casein which the part is “directly connected” to the other part, but also acase in which the part is “electrically connected” to the other partwith another element therebetween. Further, a case in which the certainpart is mentioned as “including” a certain component refers to a case inwhich another component may be further provided unless otherwisedefined, not a case in which another component is excluded.

An elastic member may be compressed and decompressed in a longitudinaldirection to exert an elastic force. The elastic member may use theelastic force so that a pumping operation may be performed in a pumpassembly, and the pump assembly may suction and discharge contentsthrough the pumping operation.

In one embodiment, the elastic member may have a length greater than astroke distance of a piston rod of the pump assembly. The length is alength in a steady state in which the elastic member is not compressedor elongated, and for example, the length may be 1.4 to 3 times thestroke distance of the piston rod. However, the present disclosure isnot limited thereto, and the length may be variously set according tothe material, shape, and the like of the elastic member. That is, inconsideration of the deformation that will be caused due to repeatedcompression, the length of the elastic member may be determined so thata compression distance of the elastic member after deformation is thesame as or similar to the stroke distance of the piston rod.

In one embodiment, the elastic member may be accommodated in the pumpassembly in a partially compressed state. To this end, the elasticmember may have a length greater than that of an accommodation space(for example, a space between a stem and a sealing part) of the pumpassembly. For example, the elastic member may have a length of 1.3 to 3times or 1.7 to 2.2 times a length of each accommodation space, but isnot limited thereto. As described above, since the elastic member ispartially compressed to be accommodated in the pump assembly, even whenthe elastic member is deformed to decrease a recovery rate by repeatedcompression, the elastic member may be stably disposed without a changein size of the accommodation space which accommodates the elasticmember.

In one embodiment, the elastic member may be provided as a plurality. Inthis case, a plurality of elastic members may be assembled in alongitudinal direction and provided in the pump assembly.

In one embodiment, at least a portion of the elastic member may be madeof a soft plastic material. For example, a material forming the elasticmember includes polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polycarbonate (PC),polyoxymethylene (POM), polyketone (POK), polybutylene terephthalate(PBT), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyoxypropylene (POP), anelastomer, a polyolefin elastomer (POE), a copolymer, ethyleneoctene/butene copolymers, or the like. However, the present disclosureis not limited thereto. As described above, since the elastic member isformed of the soft plastic material, the elastic member may be easilymanufactured, and manufacturing costs may be reduced in comparison witha spring made of a conventional metal material. Further, since theelastic member weighs less than a spring formed of the conventionalmetal material, the weight of the pump assembly and the containerprovided with the elastic member may be reduced, and thus it is easy tocarry and may be more convenient to use. Further, the pump assemblybecomes more eco-friendly by solving the problem of having to separateand discard the elastic member with other components of the pumpassembly.

In one embodiment, the elastic member may be manufactured by injectionmolding. Accordingly, the injection molding may provide relativelystable performance in comparison with other manufacturing methods suchas blow molding and the like. For example, when the elastic member is abellows type, commonly, the elastic member is manufactured by blowmolding, and in this case, there is a problem in that the thickness ofthe elastic member is not uniformly formed. However, in the case of theinjection molding, since the above-described problem of non-uniformitydoes not occur, a defect rate is reduced, and an asymmetric elasticityproblem may also be solved.

FIG. 1 illustrates an elastic member according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Specifically, FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of an elastic member 100,and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of the elastic member 100.

Referring to FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the elastic member 100 may include anupper support 110, a lower support 120 provided under the upper support110, and at least one connection part 130 which connects the uppersupport 110 and the lower support 120, and is bent when the elasticmember 100 is pressurized.

The upper support 110 may support an upper end of the connection part130. When the elastic member 100 is pressurized, the upper support 110may transfer a pressure to the connection part 130 while descending, andwhen the pressure is released, the upper support 110 may be restored byan elastic force of the connection part 130 while ascending. The lowersupport 120 may support a lower end of the connection part 130. Thelower support 120 supports the connection part 130 in a pump assembly300 without ascending so that the elastic force of the connection part130 may be directed toward the upper support 110.

At least one of the upper support 110 and the lower support 120(especially, the lower support 120) may have the multi-step structure.

In one embodiment, the multi-step structure comprises a first stepstructure 121 having a first through hole and a second step structure123 having a second through hole. A diameter of the first step structure121 is greater than a diameter of the second step structure 123, and thefirst step structure 121 is located at a more distal portion of theelastic member 100 compared to the second step structure 123. A diameterof the first through hole is greater than that of the second throughhole, and the first step is located at a more distal portion of theelastic member 100 compared to the second step. The first through holeand the second through hole are connected from one another.

The first step structure 121 may support the elastic member 100 adheringto other components of the pump assembly 300. A diameter of each step ofthe multi-step structure increases towards a distal portion of theelastic member 100. Thus, a diameter D2 of the first step structure 121is greater than a diameter D1 of a peak 131. In this case, theconnection part 130 may be compressed and decompressed withoutinterference of any other components or space of the pump assembly 300by being compressed and decompressed in the space created by thedifference of the diameter D2 of the first step structure 121 and thediameter D1 of the peak 131.

A diameter of each step through hole of each multi-step structureincreases towards the distal portion of the elastic member 100. Thus,the diameter of the first through hole is greater than that of thesecond through hole. The multi-step structure is slantly defined towardsthe distal portion of the elastic member 100 so that the multi-stepstructure has a buffer space s inside the first through hole. The bufferspace s may keep the elastic member 100 in balance and positionallystable by making the elastic member 100 inwardly bent to the bufferspace s when a pressure is horizontally or vertically applied to theelastic member 100.

In the other embodiment, a horizontal length D3 of the multi-stepstructure is greater than a height H of the multi-step structure. Inthis case, the multi-step structure may support the elastic member 100more stably.

A hollow may be formed inward the upper support 110 and the lowersupport 120. The hollow of the elastic member 100 may allow a stem 350and the like of the pump assembly 300 to be located therein, and thehollow of the elastic member 100 may allow the elastic member 100 to belocated inside the pump assembly 300. In this case, each of the uppersupport 110 and the lower support 120 may have, for example, a circularring shape, but is not limited thereto.

The connection part 130 may elastically connect the upper support 110and the lower support 120. In this case, peaks 131 protruding outwardand valleys 132 recessed inward from the peaks 131 may be repeatedlyformed in the connection part 130 in a longitudinal direction. When theelastic member 100 is pressurized, the connection part 130 may generatean elastic force while being bent (that is, elastic compression).Further, in this state, when pressurization is released, bending of theconnection part 130 is released by the elastic force and thus theconnection part 130 may be restored to an original state.

The connection part 130 of the elastic member 100 connects the uppersupport 110 and the lower support 120, and may be formed in a bellowstype. Specifically, one connection part 130 is provided along acircumference of the elastic member 100, and the peaks 131 protrudingoutward and the valleys 132 recessed inward from the peaks 131 may berepeatedly formed in the connection part 130 in the longitudinaldirection to seal a side surface.

According to the embodiment, the upper support 110, the lower support120, and the connection part 130 may be formed of the same material ordifferent materials. For example, the upper support 110 and the lowersupport 120 may be formed of a rigid material in comparison with theconnection part 130. Further, for example, the connection part 130 maybe formed of a material having a relatively greater elastic force incomparison with the upper support 110 and the lower support 120.

In the other embodiment, the elastic member 100 may be configured as aplurality. That is, a plurality of elastic members 100 may becontinuously disposed in the pump assembly 300, and may be supported bythe upper support 110 and/or the lower support 120. As described above,an entire length of the elastic member 100 may be variously changedthrough a combination of the plurality of elastic members 100.

In the other embodiment, at least one of a coupling protrusion and acoupling groove may be formed on at least one of an upper surface of theupper support 110 and a lower surface of the lower support 120. When theelastic member 100 is configured as a plurality, the elastic members 100may be connected by coupling between the coupling protrusion and thecoupling groove. For example, since the coupling protrusion isdownwardly formed on the lower surface of the lower support 120, and thecoupling groove is upwardly formed in the upper surface of the uppersupport 110, the plurality of elastic members 100 may be assembled in alongitudinal direction.

In the other embodiment, in the elastic member 100, sizes of the peak131 and the valley 132 may increase along the longitudinal direction.For example, the sizes of the peak 131 and the valley 132 may increasemore and more from the upper support 110 to the lower support 120. Sincethe sizes of the peak 131 and the valley 132 are formed larger towardthe lower support 120, the elastic member 100 may be more stablydisposed in the pump assembly 300. However, this is exemplary, and inanother example, the sizes of the peak 131 and the valley 132 mayincrease more and more from the lower support 120 to the upper support110. According to the embodiment, the elastic member 100 may bemanufactured through injection molding, and in this case, the sizes ofthe peak 131 and the valley 132 of the elastic member 100 increase in aspecific direction so that a mold used in injection may be easilyseparated.

In the other embodiment, at least one air path for releasing air whenthe elastic member 100 is compressed may be formed in at least one ofthe upper support 110 and the lower support 120 of the elastic member100. At least one of the upper surface of the upper support 110 and thelower surface of the lower support 120 may protrude and/or be recessedin the longitudinal direction to form the air path. The protrudingand/or recessed regions may serve as a coupling protrusion and/or acoupling groove when correspondingly formed.

The shape of the elastic member 100 shown in FIG. 1 is exemplary, andvarious shapes may be applied according to embodiments to which thepresent disclosure is applied.

FIG. 2 illustrates an elastic member according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Specifically, FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view of an elastic member 200,and FIG. 2(b) is a front view of the elastic member 200 and alsoincludes a front view of an enlarged section of the elastic member 200.

The elastic member 200 in FIG. 2 is described in the same manner as theelastic member 100 in FIG. 1 , and hereinafter, overlapping descriptionswill be omitted.

A first connection part 230-1 and a second connection part 230-2 amongconnection parts 230 of the elastic member 200 may be correspondinglyformed in opposite directions, and valleys 232 corresponding to thefirst connection part 230-1 and the second connection part 230-2 may beconnected so that the first connection part 230-1 and the secondconnection part 230-2 may be integrally formed. Accordingly, the firstconnection part 230-1 and the second connection part 230-2 of theelastic member 200 may be uniformly compressed. However, this isexemplary, and one or three or more connection parts 230 may be formedin the elastic member 200 according to the embodiments.

In the other embodiment, an outermost first inflection point 240-1, anda second inflection point 240-2 and a third inflection point 240-3 in avertical direction toward the inside of the first inflection point 240-1may be formed in a peak 231 of the connection part 230. When the elasticmember 200 is pressurized, bending may be performed on the basis of thefirst inflection point 240-1 to the third inflection point 240-3 duringcompression of the elastic member 200. A load due to the bending may bedispersed to the plurality of inflection points 240-1, 240-2, and 240-3.

In the other embodiment, a restriction part protruding to another valley232 adjacent thereto (in a longitudinal direction) may be formed in atleast one valley among the valleys 232 of the elastic member 200. Whenthe elastic member 200 is compressed, the restriction part may restricta compression distance of the elastic member 200 to prevent performancedegradation due to excessive compression by coming into contact with thevalley 232 adjacent thereto or the restriction part of the adjacentvalley 232.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a pump assembly 300 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectionalview of the pump assembly 300 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate that a pump assembly 300 includes the elasticmember 100 in FIG. 1 , but this is for a simple description, and thepump assembly 300 may be provided with the elastic member 200 in FIG. 2or an elastic member according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the pump assembly 300 is provided toreceive an external force from a user to cause a pressure changetherein, and then suction and discharge contents. Specifically, the pumpassembly may include a cylinder 310, a seal cap 320, a sealing part 330,a piston rod 340, a stem 350, a blade part 351, and the elastic member100.

The cylinder 310 may be vertically open to provide a space through whichcontents are introduced and discharged. The cylinder 310 may be locatedinside a spout part 411 of a container 400, and formed with an outwardseating blade 311 to be seated on the spout part 411 of the container400. A lower end of the cylinder 310 may be formed to extend toward theinside of the container 400, and an inlet 313 which communicates withthe container 400 may be formed. A valve 315 may be formed at oradjacent to the inlet 313. The valve 315 is a valve which preventsbackflow, and may seal the inlet 313 when an inner pressure of thecylinder 310 is a positive pressure, and may open the inlet 313 when theinner pressure of the cylinder 310 changes to a negative pressure.

The seal cap 320 is provided to open and close the piston rod 340,wherein an outer surface may come into close contact with an inner wallof the cylinder 310 and an inner surface may come into close contactwith the piston rod 340. A lower end of the inner surface of the sealcap 320 may come into close contact with the support part 345 of thepiston rod 340 to seal an piston-inlet 341 of the piston rod 340, andwhen the piston rod 340 descends relative to the seal cap 320, the lowerend of the seal cap 320 becomes further from the support part 345 of thepiston rod 340, and thus the piston-inlet 341 may be open to communicatewith the inside of the cylinder 310.

The sealing part 330 is coupled to an upper end of the cylinder 310, andmay be configured so that a lower end of the sealing part 330 mayinwardly extend so as to be partially inserted into the cylinder 310.Specifically, the sealing part 330 may include a sidewall 331 whichcomes into contact with the cylinder 310, and a base part 333 which isinwardly formed from a lower end of the sidewall 331. The ascent of theseal cap 320 may be restrained by a bottom surface of the base part 333,or alternatively, by a protrusion formed on the bottom surface of thebase part 333. Further, a lower end of the elastic member 100 may besupported by an upper surface of the base part 333, and separation ofthe elastic member 100 to the outside may be prevented by the sidewall331. According to the embodiment, the lower end of the elastic member100 may be disposed close to the sidewall 331.

In the other embodiment, at least one lower lead may be formed on theupper surface of the base part 333 of the sealing part 330. Since thelower lead comes into contact with the lower end of the elastic member100, an air path may be formed through the lower lead. When the elasticmember 100 is implemented in a bellows type, compression and expansionof inner air generated during compression and decompression of theelastic member 100 may be released by the air path.

The piston rod 340 is provided in the cylinder 310, wherein a lower sidemay be surrounded by the seal cap 320, and an upper side may beconnected to the stem 350. The piston rod 340 may have a hollow pipeshape, an piston-inlet 341 opened and closed by the seal cap 320 may beformed in a lower side of the piston rod 340, and an outlet 343 throughwhich the contents introduced through the piston-inlet 341 aredischarged may be formed in an upper side of the piston rod 340.Further, since the support part 345 is formed on a lower end of thepiston rod 340, when a lower end of the inner surface of the seal cap320 comes into close contact with the support part 345, the piston-inlet341 may be sealed from an inner space of the cylinder 310. The pistonrod 340 may vertically move in the cylinder 310 due to the stem 350.When the piston rod 340 moves downward, since the lower end of the innersurface of the seal cap 320 is spaced apart from the support part 345and thus the piston-inlet 341 is open, the contents in the cylinder 310may be introduced into the piston rod 340. When the piston rod 340continuously moves, the contents may be discharged through the outlet343, and then may be discharged through a discharge hole 431 of thenozzle 430 by passing through the stem 350. When the piston rod 340moves upward, the cylinder 310 may seal the piston-inlet 341 of thepiston rod 340, and the negative pressure is generated in the cylinder310, and thus the contents in the container part 410 may be introducedinto the cylinder 310.

The stem 350 may be coupled to the piston rod 340 to ascend and descendtogether with the piston rod 340. Specifically, the stem 350 may descendthe piston rod 340 while descending when an external force is appliedthrough, for example, a nozzle 430 or the like, and when the externalforce is removed, the stem 350 may ascend the piston rod 340 whileascending. A blade part 351 protruding outward along a circumference ofthe stem 350 may be formed on an upper end of the stem 350. The upperend of the elastic member 100 may be supported by a bottom surface ofthe blade part 351. A length of an accommodation space of the elasticmember 100 may be defined by a length from the bottom surface of theblade part 351 to the upper surface of the base part of the sealing part330.

In the other embodiment, a downwardly bent portion 353 may be formed atan outer side of the blade part 351. The separation of the elasticmember 100 may be prevented by the downwardly bent portion 353.

In the other embodiment, at least one air path 352 may be formed atblade part 351. When the elastic member 100 is implemented in thebellows type, compression and expansion of inner air generated duringcompression and decompression of the elastic member 100 may be releasedby the air path 352. For example, at least one upper lead may be formedon the bottom surface of the blade part 351. Since the upper lead comesinto contact with the upper end of the elastic member 100, the air pathmay be formed through the upper lead. For example, an air path 352 maybe formed by at least region of the blade part 351 being open. Theelastic member 100 is provided to restore a position of the piston rod340, the lower support 120 may be supported by the sealing part 330 (forexample, the upper surface of the base part or the like), and the uppersupport 110 may be supported by the stem 350. Here, a lower end of thestem 350 may be coupled to the piston rod 340 and the stem 350 is formedto be vertically open, and thus the contents introduced from the pistonrod 340 may move upward. When a user pressurizes the pump assembly 300,the connection part 130 may be compressed while the upper support 110and the stem 350 move downward. In this case, the piston rod 340 coupledto the stem 350 may also move downward. Further, when the user releasespressurization, an elastic force of the connection part 130 may restorethe upper support 110 and the stem 350 in an upward direction. In thiscase, the piston rod 340 coupled to the stem 350 may also move upward.

In the other embodiment, the length from the bottom surface of the bladepart 351 to the upper surface of the base part 333 of the sealing part330 may be smaller than a length of the elastic member 100. That is, theelastic member 100 may be compressed to a length smaller than a lengthin a stable state to be accommodated in the pump assembly 300.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a content container 400 according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a content container 400 may include a containerpart 410, a head part 420, a nozzle 430, and the pump assembly 300.

The container part 410 may provide an accommodation space in whichcontents are accommodated. The contents accommodated in the containerpart 410 may be discharged to the outside through the nozzle 430 or thelike to be used by a user. Here, the contents may be, for example, acosmetic or medicine, but are not limited thereto, and may includematerials of various types or ingredients which may be accommodated inthe container part 410 and discharged through the nozzle 430.Formulations of contents such as liquid, gel, powder, and the like mayalso vary. Further, the container part 410 is shown as a bottle type,but this is only an example, and various types of container part 410such as a tube type, a bottle type, and the like may be applied.

The pump assembly 300 (for example, the blade part 351 of the cylinder310) may be seated on an upper end of the container part 410. Thecontents accommodated in the container part 410 may be discharged to theoutside by the pump assembly 300. The head part 420 may be coupled to anouter side of a spout part 411 of the container part 410. The head part420 may have a space in which the pump assembly 300 is provided inwardand/or outward, may provide a space where the nozzle 430 is partiallymovable, and may pressurize and fix the pump assembly 300 throughcoupling between the head part 420 and the container part 410.

The nozzle 430 may receive an external force from a user and thentransfer the external force to the pump assembly 300, and discharge thecontents discharged from the pump assembly 300 to the outside. Thenozzle 430 may vertically move by receiving the external force from theuser in an upward direction, and may come into contact with the pistonrod 340 in a downward direction. Ascending and descending of the nozzle430 may cause ascending and descending of the piston rod 340.

According to the present disclosure, an elastic member is formed of asoft plastic material to allow costs to be reduced through a simplestructure, and to be more eco-friendly by solving the problem of havingto separate and discard the elastic member with components of the pumpassembly.

Further, according to the present disclosure, the elastic member canhave a sufficient elastic force and durability through an upper support,a lower support, and a connection part which connects the upper supportand the lower support and in which peaks and valleys are repeatedlyformed.

As described above, although the embodiments are described by thelimited embodiments and drawings, various changes and modifications maybe performed by those skilled in the art from the above description.Further, the embodiments may be combined to be operated as necessary.Accordingly, equivalents of other implementations, other embodiments,and the claims are included within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pump assembly comprising: an elastic membercomprising: a first support; a second support; and a connection partconnecting the first support and the second support and comprising aplurality of peaks and valleys alternatingly disposed in an outwarddirection, wherein the plurality of peaks and valleys are configured tobe bent when the elastic member is pressurized; a sealing partaccommodating the elastic member; and a stem coupled to a piston rod andconfigured to ascend and descend together with the piston rod, whereinthe elastic member is disposed between the stem and the sealing part andis configured to provide an elastic force to the stem from the sealingpart, wherein a blade part is defined in the stem configured to restrainan upper end of the elastic member and comprises at least one air pathconfigured to release compression and expansion of inner air generatedduring compression and decompression of the elastic member.
 2. The pumpassembly of claim 1, wherein the elastic member is configured to beaccommodated in the pump assembly in a partially compressed state. 3.The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the elastic member is formed of atleast one among polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polycarbonate (PC),polyoxymethylene (POM), polyketone (POK), polybutylene terephthalate(PBT), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyoxypropylene (POP), apolyolefin elastomer (POE), and ethylene octene/butene copolymers. 4.The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein sizes of each of the plurality ofpeaks and valleys increase in a longitudinal direction.
 5. The pumpassembly of claim 1, wherein the connection part is a bellows type,wherein the connection part is defined along a circumference of theelastic member, and wherein a circumferential surface of the connectionpart is sealed.
 6. The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the secondsupport has a two-step structure, wherein the two-step structure has afirst step structure and a second step structure, wherein the first stepstructure is defined on a distal portion of the two-step structure andhas a first-outer-side-wall and a first-inner-side-wall, and wherein thesecond step structure is defined on a closer portion of the two-stepstructure and has a second-outer-side-wall and a second-inner-side-wall.7. The pump assembly of claim 6, wherein each step of the two-stepstructure comprises a step-through-hole having a buffer space inside thefirst step structure, and the second step structure is inwardly bent tothe buffer space when the elastic force is horizontally or verticallypressured.
 8. The pump assembly of claim 6, wherein a diameter of thefirst-outer-side-wall of the first step structure is greater than adiameter of a peak of the plurality of peaks and valleys.
 9. The pumpassembly of claim 8, wherein a horizontal margin is created by adifference between the diameter of the first-outer-side-wall of thefirst step structure and the diameter of the peak of the plurality ofpeaks and valleys, and wherein the connection part is compressed ordecompressed without interference of other components of the pumpassembly by being compressed or decompressed in the horizontal margin.10. The pump assembly of claim 6, wherein a distance from thefirst-outer-side-wall of the first step structure to thefirst-inner-side-wall of the second step structure is greater than aheight of the two-step structure.
 11. The pump assembly of claim 6,wherein a distance from the first-outer-side-wall to thefirst-inner-side-wall of the first step structure is greater than aheight of the first step structure.
 12. The pump assembly of claim 1,wherein the second support has a multi-step structure, wherein each stepof the multi-step structure has an inner side wall and an outer sidewall, and a diameter of each step of the multi-step structure increasestowards a distal portion of the elastic member, and wherein the elasticmember has a through hole penetrating the first support, the connectionpart, and the second support along axial direction of the elasticmember, and wherein a space is defined by the through hole configured toaccommodate the pump assembly.
 13. The pump assembly of claim 1 furthercomprising: a cylinder vertically open and having a hollow therein; aseal cap disposed on an inner wall of the cylinder; and the piston rodhaving an piston-inlet opened and closed by the seal cap disposed in alower end of the piston rod and a path connected to the piston-inletdisposed at the upper end of the piston rod, wherein the sealing part isat least partially inserted into the cylinder and is configured torestrain an ascent of the seal cap, and wherein the elastic member isdisposed between the stem and the sealing part and is configured toprovide the elastic force to the stem from the sealing part.
 14. Thepump assembly of claim 13, wherein the blade part is defined byprotruding outward along a circumference of an upper end of the stemconfigured to support the upper end of the elastic member, wherein adownwardly bent portion is defined along a circumference of the bladepart and supports the elastic member configured to prevent separation ofthe elastic member.
 15. The pump assembly of claim 14, wherein the atleast one air path of the blade part is defined on at least one regionof the blade part being open.
 16. The pump assembly of claim 13, whereinthe sealing part comprises: a sidewall disposed to the cylinder and isconfigured to prevent an outward separation of the elastic member; and abase part defined on a lower end of side wall, wherein an upper surfaceof the base part supports a lower end of the elastic member.
 17. Thepump assembly of claim 13, wherein the cylinder has an inletcommunicating with a container and a valve preventing backflow, andwherein the valve opens the inlet when an inner pressure of cylinderchanges to a negative pressure.
 18. The pump assembly of claim 13,wherein a lower portion of the piston rod is surrounded by an innersurface of the seal cap sealing the piston-inlet of the piston rod andan upper portion of the piston rod is connected to the stem.